Car door



May 23, 1940- E. DxTcHFn-:LD 2,202,688

CAR DOOR Filed Sep. 7. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented May 28, 1940 Pl-TEN'I oFFiCE CAR DOOR Frank Ditchfeld, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 7, 1938, Serial No. 228,780

7 Claims.

This invention relates to car doors and more particularly to sliding doors of the lift type for railway house cars.

To prevent or materially decrease sliding move-` ment of car doors during shunting, switching, etc., of railway freight cars, the doors are frictionally supported in lowered position upon tracks. To secure desired movement of the doors along the tracks with a minimum of effort they are elevated above the tracks and disposed upon rolling means. Elevation is accomplished by mechanism denoted as lift mechanism usually carried by the doors. Operation of the lift mechanism is accomplished by means of a lever.

It has been found that the stresses and movement of freight cars equipped with sliding lift doors cause a whipping or chattering action of the levers which in time produces Wear in the levers and related parts of the mechanisms. As

lsuch wear progresses the levers gradually depart from their initial positions and in so doing reduce the amount of lift obtainable.

It is, therefore, the main object of this invention to provide simple, inexpensive and effective means capable of eliminating or substantially reducing the whipping or chattering action of the levers of lift mechanisms.

A further object is to provide means capable of maintaining the levers substantially in their initial positions and thereby prevent reduction in the amount of lift obtainable.

It is a further object to provide resilient means capable of preventing whipping or chattering action of the actuating levers of lift mechanisms.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part; of this specification:

Figure 1 is a partial elevation of a sliding lift door embodying one form of the invention, parts being broken away.

v Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational detail of a portion of the lift mechanism, the door being shown in lowered position and a portion being broken away for the sake of clarity.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2. the door being shown in elevated position.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken on line 5 5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a partial elevation showing a modified form of the invention.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the door of Figure 6, a part being broken away for greater clarity and the door being shown in lowered position.

Figure 8 is a View similar to Figure 7, the door being shown in elevated position.

Figure 9 is a vertical section taken on line l--Q of Figure 7.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings the numeral lII) designates a metallic door selected for the purpose of illustrating the invention. The door IIl embodies a metallic panel II formed with horizontal corrugations I2 and marginal vertical corrugations I 3 and I4. Reinforcing backing plates I5 and I6 extend across the Vertical corrugations I3 and lI!! and are secured to the metallic panel on opposite sides thereof as best illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. The vertical margins of the metallic panel I I are additionally reinforced by means of a channel shaped member Il secured to the front vertical margin and by means of an angle member I8 secured to the rear vertical margin.

The lower marginal portion of the metallic panel Il is reinforced by means of a backing plate I9 which extends across thel lowerrnost horizontal corrugation I2 and is secured to the panel on opposite sides thereof as clearly appears from Figure 1 0f the drawings. Additional reinforcement is provided by means of an angle member 2D, the Vertical leg 2| of which is disposed between the backing plate I9 and the lower margin of the panel Hand is secured thereto. The horizontal leg 22 of the reinforcing angle member projects outwardly from the panel as best shown in Figures l and 5 of the drawings and provides means whereby the door is frictionally supported in its lowered position upon a track 23. This track is secured to a side sill 24 by means of a plurality of brackets 25-25.

In order to move the door readily between open and closed positions,` mechanism is provided whereby the door is raised above the track and supported upon rolling means. This mechanism,

`commonly referred to as lift door elevating mechanism, embodies roller assemblies secured to the lower margin of the door adjacent the corners thereof. These assemblies as illustrated are identical in structure and each embodies a roller retainer 26 which carries a pin or axle 2l 'upon which a roller 28 is mounted. Aligned trunnions 29 and 30 project from each of the roller retainers 26 and are arranged in offset relationship to the pin or axle 21. 'I'he trunnion 29 is journalled in the vertical flange 2| of the bottom reinforcing angle 20 and the trunnion 30 yis journalled in a housing'v member 3l rigidly fastened to the door as by means of a plurality of rivets 32. The housing member 3l serves to enclose a roller assembly and by reason of the hook shaped extensions 33 formed on the roller housing and disposed in overlapping relationship with the track 23 functions as guide and retaining means i'or the door. Simultaneous movement of the roller retainers is secured by means of a connecting bar 3B disposed within the lowermost horizontal corrugation. The bar 31! is connected to projections 35 provided on the roller retainers by means of lugs extending from these projections into openings formed in the ends of the connecting bar.

The lift mechanism embodies an actuating lever 3d which in the form of the mechanism illustrated is mounted directly upon the trunnion Sil. For this purpose the trunnion 3d extends beyond its bearing in the housing member and is provided with flat faces 3l and 38. Securement of the lever upon the trunnion is obtained by means of a substantially Z-shaped member 39 fastened upon the rear of the lever as by means of a rivet til, this member cooperating with an arcuate flange lil formed on the housing member 3l.

ieretofore the actuating levers of lift mechanisms have been subjected to a chattering or whipping action by reason oi the constant move ment of the railway cars and the doors thereon occasioned by the normal travel of the cars over the rails. This chattering of the actuating levers set up progressive wear between the roller retainer trunnions and their bearings and between the actuating levers and the trunnions upon which they are mounted. As this wear progressed, the actuating levers became loose upon the trunnions which in turn induced greater chattering and greater Wear. This locseness, moreover, caused the actuating levers to depart from their initial position and as they normally approached the track affected the amount of lift obtainable.

To the end that chattering oi the levers may be substantially obviated the roller retainers are provided with flanges l2 projecting from the lower portion of the retainers. The door lll is provided with rubber blocks 43, preferably cylindrical in shape. Tiiese blocks are supported upon horizontal iiange E2 of the bottom reinforcing angle 2l) and are maintained in position by means of studs Ml extending inwardly from the housing members 3i.

With reference to Figure 1 of the drawings wherein the door is illustrated in its lowered position, it will be apparent that the instant invention in the embodiment considered effectively prevents chattering of the actuating lever 36. By reason of the fact that the roller 2B engages the track 23, it is clearthat swinging movement of the lever in a clockwise direction cannot occur. Similarly, by reason of the engagement between the anges i2 provided on the roller retainers 2t and the rubber blocks d3 which. occurs in the lowering movement of the door so as to compress the rubber blocks, it will be ap@ v parent that swinging movement of the lever in a counter-clockwise direction is precluded. Thus, chattering or whipping of the actuating lever is eliminated and the adverse elects heretofore resulting from such chattering are avoided.

With reference to Figure 3 of the drawings, it wi be seen that there is no interference with normal lifting operation of the mechanism.

A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figuresy 5 `to 9, inclusive. In this embodiment the liity mechanism applied tothe door l@ includes housing members i5- 5 within which are disposed roller assemblies. Each of these embodies an eccentric roller designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 46. The eccentric roller comprises briefly a rim dl and a core 48. A splined pin Q3 extends eccentrically into the core 43 and is received within correspondingly splined journals 5l) and 5l disposed respectively in aligned bearings formed in the housing member. Splined arms 52 are mounted upon the pins 49 and are provided with lugs 53 which extend into openings formed in the ends ofv a connecting bar 54 to insure simultaneous lifting operation of the roller assemblies. An inwardly splined actuating lever 55 is mounted upon one of the splined pins 49 and is guided and retained by means of an arcuate flange 56 formed on the housing member. The ilange 5S coopcrates for the .purpose indicated with a substantially Z-shaped clip 57 carried on the rear side of the lever. Except insofar as the eccentric rollers of the considered lift mechanism cooperateY with means as hereinafter explained to prevent chattering of the actuating lever, such mechanism per se forms no part of the instant invention but will constitute the subject matter vof a separate application. f

Each of the housing members Yl5 is provided with opposed retaining flanges 58 and 59 between which there is confined a rubber block El). As clearly appears from Figure '7 of the drawings, the rubber block 550 lies in the plane of the eccentric roller 46 and when the door is in lowered position the rubber block 6U is engaged and compressed by the rim 6T of the eccentric roller. By the described construction chattering or whipping of the actuating lever 55 is prevented. It is apparent that the lever 55 by reason of the engage# 'ment of the eccentric roller ii with the track cannot move in clockwise direction as viewed in 'Figure 7. Similarly, by reason of the engagement between the rubber block Bil and the eccentric roller upward movement of the roller about the pin i9 is prohibited and consequently movement of the lever in a counter-clockwise direction is precluded. It appears, moreover, as illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings, that the rubber block oers no interference tothe normal lifting operation ol the lift mechanism.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be ciear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications.

and changes be comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. in a railway house car having a sliding door and a track associated therewith and frictionally supporting said door in lowered position, elevating mechanism for said door, said mechanism comprising an actuating lever and rolling means adapted to engage said track, and a resilient member on said door, said member being compressed by said inechanism in the lowering movement of said door, said rolling means beingA engaged with said track when said resilient member is compressed, said resilient member being re-` leased from the pressure of said lii't lmechanism upon operation of said lever to raise said door.

2. Lift mechanism for a sliding lift door comprising a roller, a retainer for said roller, said retainer being eccentrically mounted on said door, a ange projecting from said retainer, an actuating lever .operatively associated with said retainer and a resilient member carried by said door, said member being compressed by said ange in the lowered position of said door.

3. Lift mechanism for a sliding lift door com.- prising an eccentric roller, an actuating lever op'erativelyassociated With said roller, a housing member for said roller secured to said door, and resilient means carried by said housing member engaging said roller in the lowered position of said door.

4. Lift mechanism for a sliding lift door comprising an eccentric roller, an actuating lever operatively associated with said roller, a housing member for said roller secured to said door, retaining flanges onsaid housing memberland a resilient member carried by said flanges, said resilient member engaging said roller in the lowered position of said door.

5. In a railway house car the combination with a sliding door, a track for frictionally supporting said door in lowered position and lift mechanism for said door embodying rollers adapted to engage said track, retainers for said rollers provided with trunnions disposed in offset relationship to the axis of said rollers and journalled in said door and an actuating lever mounted upon one of said trunnions, of resilient means carried by said door, at least one of said retainers engaging said resilient means during lowering movement of said door and compressing said means, said rollers being in engagement with said track when said resilient means is compressed.

6. In a railway house car the combination with a sliding door, a track for frictionally supporting said door in lowered position and lift mechanism for said door embodying rollers adapted to engage said track, means journalled in 4said door eccentrically mounting said rollers, a bar connecting said means for simultaneous rotation and a lever secured to one of said means for imparting rotation thereto, of resilient means carried by said door, said roller mounting means being rotated by lowering movement of said door to effect compression of said resilient means, said rollers being engaged with said track when said resilient means is compressed, vsaid lever being operable to rotate said roller mounting means to lift said door and relieve said resilient means of pressure.

7. In a railway house car the combination with a sliding door, a track for frictionally supporting said door in lowered position and lift mechanism for said door embodying rollers adapted to engage said track, retainers for said rollers provided with trunnions disposed in offset relationship toy the axis of said rollers and journalled in said door and an actuating lever mounted upon one of said trunnions, of resilient means carried by said door, at least one of said retainers being provided with a projecting flange, said flange engaging and compressing said resilient means during the lowering movement of said door, said rollers being in engagement with said track When said resilient means is compressed.

' FRANK DITCHFIELD. 

